Last Updated on October 22, 2021 by Grow with Bovees
Welcome dear readers and plant lovers.
Today, we’ll be discussing all you need to know about how not to kill your majestic alocasia stingray which is a beautiful plant with an airy stem structure and massive leaves.
It will definitely add immense beauty to any plant collection.
This beautiful, green, exotic plant is one of 79 species belonging to the Araceae family.
It is a tropical plant and its natural habitat lies in Southeast Asia and Eastern Australia.
The alocasia stingray is said to add a classy, elegant, vintage, and stylish vibe to every house, due to its popularity in the ’50s.
Looking closely at the alocasia stingray leaves natural shape, you’ll come to realize that they resemble the ear of a certain four-legged giant roaming African soil.
Namely, the elephant ear.
This decorative piece of greenery is henceforth also known as, elephant ear stingray.
It is also sometimes (mistakenly) referred to as Stingray Philodendron.
The alocasia stingray is a lush plant easy to keep alive, but they are very sensitive to levels of humidity and temperature, which may make this a challenging plant for beginners or any new plant parent.
Let’s look at the different alocasia stingray needs and their ideal conditions and proper care instructions.
Is This a Good Houseplant?
The alocasia stingray is a superb and unique house plant. Its glossy green shade adds a lovely elegant touch to any household.
The lively feel, it adds to your home, makes for an excellent mood booster. The alocasia stingray creates a welcoming home environment. This incredible houseplant is ideal for those who have an undying passion for houseplants.
Not only does the alocasia stingray lift spirits and elevate happiness, but it also has a room cleansing effect. With its natural filtering system, it filters small air pollutants and chemical gases which are released by furniture.
The alocasia stingray rarely produces flowers, unlike other indoor houseplants. Its attractive structure and foliage are what make the alocasia stingray so beautiful.
The alocasia stingray is relatively simple and requires only moderate care. Knowing and sticking to the basic growing conditions is vital to growing a healthy plant.
Let’s continue with a step-by-step guide to achieving the perfect elephant ear stingray. It’s like they say — happy plant, happy heart.
Getting the correct soil mixture and keeping this fresh potting soil moist is key to growing your Alocasia macrorrhiza indoors.
This plant thrives best in well-aerated, slightly acidic soil which should be well-draining.
Make sure that the soil is not overly wet and soggy, but rather more on the dry but moist side while at the same time maintaining watering your plant regularly.
The alocasia stingray doesn’t like soggy soil or overly dry conditions.
Wet and soggy soil due to poor drainage may cause root rot and eventually stem rot. Add a pebble tray to your pot — which should have a drainage hole — to assist with excess water drainage.
Each alocasia stingray is unique in its needs. To ensure a long and complication-free relationship, pay close attention to the condition of your alocasia and its care needs.
Continue reading below for a few more alocasia stingray care tips;
How Much Light Does an Alocasia Stingray Need?
Now that you’ve potted your alocasia stingray, it’s time to find the perfect location with the right alocasia stingray light requirements.
The Alocasia macrorrhiza ‘stingray’ isn’t fond of direct light.
Harsh direct sunlight will burn its leaves over time. Therefore, it is important to place it in a space with indirect light.
Yellowed leaves or brown leaves are an indication of scorching.
Be sure to place your elephant ear stingray in a place of bright but indirect light to avoid direct contact with the sun. A south-facing window or even an east-facing window would be ideal when placing it indoors.
If you decide to grow your alocasia stingray outdoors — which is possible — be sure that it’s planted in a sheltered location of warm temperature away from the midday sun in such a way that it still receives natural light.
It will grow even better in humid spaces.
You may place your elephant ear next to a window provided that there is a sheer curtain of some sort to filter out any harsh sunlight. A bit of direct morning sunlight or dappled sunlight however will not be harmful.
The alocasia stingray adapts slowly to its surrounding light conditions. So, if you decide to relocate your plant from a shady area of relatively low light to a more bright area, you must do so in stages.
If the plant doesn’t get a chance to adapt, it’ll become distressed for a while.
The alocasia stingray tends to grow towards the sunlight. If the area you place it in is a bit too shaded, the plant’s stem will grow longer and longer to reach the sunniest area.
To avoid uneven growth of your elephant ear, rotate the pot with every watering.
The ideal environment for your alocasia is in a hot space with high humidity. Bright bathrooms are great. It thrives best in these warm and cozy conditions with above-average humidity.
They don’t do well in cold and drafty areas. Air conditioners and cold drafts are a no-go.
Keep the indoor temperatures ranging between 18-22 °C, which is the perfect temperature range. Any warmer temperatures and your alocasia stingray’s leaves may develop dry, crisp edges.
Any colder and your plants’ leaves may also develop crisp edges as well as leaving them yellow and drooping.
To maintain a good humidity level indoors, simply mist your plant with a light water spray. Be careful not to over mist, this may cause alocasia stingray brown spots.
Filling a 1-inch deep pebble tray with water and placing it below your plant’s container on warmer days also aids in keeping a humid environment.
If you feel your house has insufficient light, or a lack of light, an artificial light source would also suffice. These provide adequate light for your alocasia stingray.
Small tip before we move on. Dusty leaves may inhibit the growth of your plant preventing it from producing its own food. Clean off the dust by gently wiping your leaves with a soft clean cloth.
Absorption of sunlight is more effective when leaves are clean.
You may also like to read;
Alocasia Cuprea Care Guide
Dieffenbachia Dumb Cane Plant Care Guide
How Often To Water Alocasia Stingray?
Next, let us briefly go through the alocasia stingray water requirements.
Water regularly but do not overwater your Alocasia macrorrhiza. Using a pot with drainage holes promotes good drainage and prevents the roots from resting in the water.
Seeing the water run through these drain holes is also a good indication to stop adding water to your plant. When exposing roots to water for too long, the signs of your alocasia stingray dying would be brown and mushy roots.
It’s safe to water alocasia plants when the top layer of the soil is dry. Use room temperature clean water. Cold water is not recommended. Watering will most likely have to occur 1-2 times a week.
The months of spring through summer are growing seasons and more frequent watering will be required. In the dormant period, which is winter when nature offers cold weather, you will have to cut down on your watering.
How To Fertilize a Alocasia Stingray?
Alocasia is generally a pretty hungry plant.
So adding a bit of balanced water-soluble fertilizer to your alocasia stingrays potting mix every few weeks to enhance the soil’s fertility, is always welcome.
Fertile soil will promote the growth of your plant becoming inches larger as well as aiding in healthy root growth. Use the fertilizer from spring to summer.
Good quality all-purpose or liquid fertilizer, and specific houseplant fertilizer are rich in nutrients and organic matter and are perfect to add to your plant’s coarse potting sand when it grows vigorously as your plant requires more nutrients then.
Liquid plant food and other fertilizers are actually recommended to support the growth of your elephant ear.
As a rule of thumb, always water your plant before adding fertilizer to its soil. The alocasia’s roots are quite sensitive and fertilizing dry might cause root burn which may cause your alocasia stingray to die.
Use organic fertilizer every two weeks in its active growing seasons, by burying it under the top layer of your pot’s soil. Be careful not to harm your alocasia’s roots in the process.
Refrain from adding fertilizer to your plant in dormant months when cold temperatures slow plant growth. Lack of nutrients may cause a nutrient deficiency which slows growth.
How To Propagate Alocasia Stingray
When deciding to propagate your alocasia stingray to attain plenty of plants, it is best to do so in the months of warm temperatures — late spring and summer. Just follow these simple steps.
Different ways of propagation include using ripe seeds, offsets from the root stem, and rhizome division.
The most common way is to use offsets. This process starts by removing your original plant from its pot and removing excess soil from the roots by shaking it gently.
Visible roots will reveal that the alocasia plant’s roots grow in clumps which often contain offsets — baby plants or younger plants — as well.
These root balls are easily separated and they each make up individual root systems, making them easy to grow in separate pots.
Once the clumps have been separated, place each one into their own pot and give them a bit to drink. You must remain patient when propagating alocasia stingrays.
The transplant will shock your plant, and it might take a couple of weeks before growth commences normally. The popping up of beautiful green leaves is a sign of successful propagation and new growth.
If your offsets come from a larger adult plant, be sure to place them into a larger pot to avoid having to repot too soon.
The alocasia stingray grows from tubular structures called rhizomes. These are hidden just below the surface of the potting soil. Another way of propagation is by dividing the rhizomes by making clean incisions.
Carefully lift your plant out of its clay pot and gently brush away excess soil to expose the rhizomes. Then slowly divide the tubes.
Plant the separated rhizomes into new unglazed clay pots and each of these separate tubes will then grow into a new plant.
It is important to repot properly, which brings me to the next step of caring for your Alocasia macrorrhiza.
How To Repot an Alocasia Stingray?
Let me start by saying, do not repot your plant shortly after purchasing it. Alocasia plants are very sensitive to new environments, and it is important to let them adapt to their new surrounding conditions before attempting to repot them.
Repotting can be done at annual intervals to replace the soil and to increase the size of your pot if this is deemed necessary. You may want to combine repotting with propagation to avoid repotting too frequently.
The plant is strongest in its growing season, which makes this the ideal time to repot your plants. Repot at longer intervals, the larger the plant is.
Simply remove the plant from its old pot and place it into a new either larger or same-sized pot. Always place it at the same depth.
Provide new soil and remove yellow or dying leaves. Removal of plant debris provides the plant with better growing conditions. Always use clean utensils when pruning or maintaining your alocasia stingray.
Is the Alocasia Stingray Toxic?
Is your alocasia stingray poisonous? To answer this question, yes, the alocasia stingray is toxic.
I would recommend placing your plant out of reach and away from children and pets as it can pose a poisonous threat to them when ingested.
Pests and Diseases
Like most plants, the alocasia stingray is also susceptible to different pests and diseases which can cause a great deal of damage. These include leaf-spot disease, botrytis, and root or rhizome rot. These diseases are the most common reason for leaf loss.
It is also of high importance to look out for certain pests such as aphids, spider mites, and mealybugs. These are most often found along the midrib on the underside of the alocasia’s beautiful leaves.
Most pests and diseases present with common symptoms.
Leaf-Spot Disease
This is one of the more common fungal diseases among outdoor and indoor plants. And it occurs due to too wet conditions.
This fungus presents as small brown spots turning into blotches as the fungus grows. Soon you will sit with damaged leaves and droopy leaves until eventually the entire leaf dies and falls off.
Watering the soil and not the foliage will prevent this problem. Adequate air circulation will also prevent browning leaves.
Botrytis
Botrytis — also known as gray mold — is yet another fungal disease common in perennials.
It is caused by too moist conditions exceeding ideal humidity. Poor air circulation also creates inviting grounds for this type of fungus.
Common symptoms are dark brown lesions on the leaves and it may also cause a drooping leaf as well as dead leaves.
Refrain from misting your alocasia too frequently to avoid this problem and to prevent further spreading, pick up and remove any plant debris. It is also important to prune off infected areas of your plant or use a fungicide solution to kill the disease.
Root or Rhizome Rot
This is an issue the gardeners are often not aware of as it starts affecting the roots which are under the soil.
Inadequately drained soil, which could be caused by insufficient drainage holes, and too dense soil cause this condition.
The most common symptoms of this disease are brown, soft roots. As it moves up the plant, it causes yellow leaves and stunted growth.
If you find that there are still some viable roots, discard the infected soil and try planting your plant in a new pot with fresh and well-drained soil. However, if all the roots have turned mushy, there is no saving your plant, unfortunately.
Aphids
Aphids are small green pests that feed by sucking sap directly from the plant, causing some amount of damage. This is a common pest that causes a curling leaf shape or yellowed leaves.
Removal of this pest is vital for the survival of your plant. Organic sprays are very helpful in removing this pest.
Simply use soapy water to keep your plant leaves shiny. Neem oil is also a good organic spray to get rid of this tiny critter.
Spider Mite
Spider mites are tiny pests that can quickly cause havoc in your indoor and outdoor garden. They are reddish-brown and like to hide away underneath leaves, slowly sucking on plant juices by piercing the soft tissue.
Light dots showing up on leaves is one of the first symptoms of damage. Further progression will cause yellowed leaves which may dry out and drop off.
Spider mites like hot and dry conditions where there is a lack of humidity. To deter them from colonizing your plant, be sure to keep up optimal humidity levels and keep your alocasia stingray soil moist.
Dust particles on leaves also encourage the spread of this pest. Be sure to wipe your leaves clean with a soft wet cloth to avoid this kind of infestation.
Prune off the parts of the plant which are infected and discard them. For severe infestations, it is beneficial to use insecticidal soap.
Mealybugs
This is a familiar pest found in greenhouses, gardens, and indoor plants. These foreign inhabitants look like tiny white cotton balls attached to the leaves and stem of your plant.
They, too, feed by sucking out plant sap from the plant’s soft tissue. As this pest feeds on its fleshy stem, it weakens the plant slowly and soon the leaves will appear curled with yellow spots.
Your plant will also start adopting a sticky feel. This is caused by honeydew which may encourage mold growth.
Mealybugs thrive best in conditions where nitrogen levels are high. Be careful not to overwater or over-fertilize your plant, as this encourages colonization of mealybugs.
Damp, well-drained soil with a bit of humidity is the ideal condition.
With light infestations, it is helpful to prune diseased leaves.
Dabbing the mealybug itself with some rubbing alcohol has also been shown to be useful.
Diluted neem oil is also of great effect, as it inhibits the growth of these critters, and best of all, it is not toxic to your plant.
We have now come to the end of this alocasia stingray plant care guide, and we hope that with the help of these plant care tips, this plant brings you all the happiness and joy in your home.
You should now be well-versed in how not to kill this beautiful evergreen plant.
